Submitted by david, Age 11 from Rhode Island

Rating:

JEFF KINNEY,PERSONALY I THINK IS THE BEST AUTHOR EVER AND HE IS SO FUN

Recently, we learned a new word. We love it because: a) we never knew a word existed to describe this activity, and b) it just sounds funny.

The word is filking.

Filking means re-writing the lyrics to a song, with your own twist. For the holidays, we decided to try our hand at filking with some traditional carols — adapted for children’s book lovers!

Today, we present to you… “Jingle Bells” from the perspective of Greg Heffley, the star of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy figuring out how to score some free hot cocoa — just download the audio.)

Hope we didn’t kill your eardrums with Karen’s singing voice! You have two days to recover, and then check back here at Kidsmomo for another attempt at kidlit Christmas carol filking. (HA HA HA. Filking. That sounds funny…)

— Happy holidays from Karen and Nancy!

Thank you to Cameron Lui for arranging and performing the instrumentals!

Greg. Rodrick. Rowley. Fregley. Chirag. And, of course, that embarrassing diary… They’re all back in the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, based on the book Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney.

And surprise, surprise — Nancy and Karen were also back in the theater on opening night to watch the story come to life on the big screen. But did it live up to the book? Or should the film be avoided like the Cheese Touch? Watch our video review to get our take on the movie:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or too busy being tormented by your older sibling — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Wimpy Kid movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book and the earlier film?

Zoo-Wee Mama! Know what tomorrow is? Well, yes, it is indeed Friday Friday Friday (and now I have that song in my head — get it out get it out get it out!)… But it’s ALSO the release date for the second Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, Rodrick Rules!

We shared the first trailer with you guys as soon as it went public, but we had very limited intel about the film at that time. Happily, now there’s TONS of sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes awesomeness available on the magical interwebs. And if you’re as lazy as Rodrick Heffley, then you’re in luck — because we’ve rounded up some of our favorite goodies right here:

Factoid! Did you know that Rowley’s mom in the movie is played by his real-life mother? (Er, I mean Robert Capron’s real-life mother…) Read the Scholastic’s interview with the cast to get the lowdown. [Full disclosure: I work at Scholastic on the very site where this interview appears. But sadly, I did not have anything to do with this interview. Cry.]

Straight from the source! Also from Scholastic, an interview with author Jeff Kinney reveals that he’s got at least two more Wimpy Kid books in the works, and probably another movie. Keep ‘em coming!

 
 
Just in time for April Fool’s! Apparently, Zachary Gordon (who plays Greg) and Devon Bostick (who plays Rodrick) are huge pranksters, and kept things lively on set. Zach dumped a whole mess of salt into one of Devon’s water bottles, and Devon tricked Zach into eating an Oreo filled with toothpaste instead of frosting! Author Jeff Kinney also got into the act when he pulled one over on Zach — watch the video of his prank on Cartoon Network (click “Behind the Scenes” on the left side, and then choose “Inflatable Extras” down below).

Trailer #2! Turns out there’s a new trailer for the movie, and it’s full of funny stuff from the books — Mom Bucks! Rodrick caught on camera! — plus, some scenes I don’t recall and assume are brand new for the film (roller rink party?). Check it out for yourself:

Between the official site and Cartoon Network, there are about a bazillion more video clips for you to watch… or you could just wait until tomorrow and see the whole movie — that’s what Nancy and I are going to do! So check back next week for our review.

For now, I’ll leave you with this hilarious video. I started this post by referring to a big YouTube sensation, so it’s only fitting to end with what very well may be the next big Internet hit. At least, I think it should be!

And leave a comment if you’re planning to see the film! How do you think it will compare to the book?

— Karen

Unlike Rodrick, Karen never threw any parties when her parents were away. That they know of! Just kidding, she never did. She was a good kid. Really.

More about Karen »

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Sit back and get ready,
For the movie Rodrick Rules!

Alright, maybe it’s a little early for Valentine’s Day poems. Definitely too early for a bad one. And I’m not sure why I even wrote the poem, since there’s no love between Greg Heffley and his older brother, Rodrick… which you know all about if you’ve already read Rodrick Rules, the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.

If you’re not caught up on the series, you have two months to prepare! The movie version comes out on March 25, 2011, and it looks like a lot of laughs. Check out the newly-released trailer:

I’m excited to see Chirag, Rowley, Fregley, and the whole gang back together again! Perhaps this movie will inspire another Fregley impression. And it looks like Rodrick might not forever be a terrifying menace after all… *gasp!*

What do you guys think of the trailer?

— Nancy

Nancy’s excited to see what Karen thinks of the trailer, since Karen confessed that she thought Rodrick was kind of cute… Hee hee!

Meet Nancy »

Submitted by Sydni, Age 11 from Rhode Island

Rating:

This book, “Diary Of A Wimpy Kid,” was a very good book! It makes a lot of non-reader’s read! At some parts, it was very funny.

Submitted by Marlee, Age 12 from Rhode Island

Rating:

I loved this book, you should too. This book is for all ages, and is one of the best books in America. This book is about Greg Hefley. He is the main character in this story . It tells about Greg’s life and the people that are surrounding him, in his environment. If you have not read this book I suggest that you get the whole series and enjoy every single one of them.

Submitted by Kevin, Age 11 from Rhode Island

Rating:

If you are a Jeff Kinney fan,you will love this continuation of The Diary of a Wimpy series.And if you have seen the movie you will totaly get this book.
But I suggest you read the rest of the series first!!!

What would you do if you looked up and saw this face, the size of a city block?

That’s right — A CITY BLOCK! That’s what I will be looking at during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. Greg, our beloved anti-hero from Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will be floating above our heads in the form of a balloon. But unlike the image above, Greg will be smiling in the parade… kind of.

Here’s what the balloon will look like, but much, much bigger:

And YOU could have a chance to see it! The publisher is having a sweepstakes and you could win a trip to NYC to see Giant Greg in person!

Greg will be in the parade to celebrate the 5th book he’s starring in: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, which comes out on November 5th. Even I’m looking forward to seeing what Greg is up to (despite my outspoken reservations about him, which you can hear all about in the KidsmomoMO Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie review)!

— Nancy

Perhaps one day Nancy and Karen will be immortalized as giant Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons… *thinks about it* NAHHHHHH!

More about Nancy »

Dude, sometimes I ask myself: Why do all those Hollywood big shots make so much money when they never come up with ideas of their own? They should put me and Nancy on their payroll and just keep up with Kidsmomo, because it seems like all their new movies are based on children’s books!

Want proof? Not too long ago, Nancy let y’all know about an upcoming Judy Moody movie, based on the book series by Megan McDonald. And now, I’ve got news about TWO MORE book-to-film projects:

First up: middle school morons better watch out, because a second Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie is set to be released on March 25, 2011. It’s based on Rodrick Rules, the second book in the series by Jeff Kinney, of course! No official word yet on exactly which cast members from the first movie will be back for the sequel, but I assume at least Zachary Gordon as Greg and Devon Bostick as Rodrick will make an appearance! (Haven’t seen the first movie? Check out our review — including cartoon versions of me and Nancy!)

And just announced: a big screen version of Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce is on its way. He’s the same guy who wrote Millions (both the book and the movie), and he’ll also be adapting this one for film himself — so you know it’s gonna stay true to the original story. Btw, if you’re not familiar with that story, here’s a recap: Liam is a 12-year-old who’s so tall that he’s always mistaken for an adult, so he uses that to con his way into the first spaceship to take civilians into space!

Okay, okay, I admit it: Cosmic DOES sound like the perfect tale for an awesome movie. And I’m sure Nancy and I will be in line opening weekend to see the second Wimpy Kid film too. I guess sometimes those Hollywood types do get it right. But I still wouldn’t mind if they sent some cash over to Kidsmomo!

— Karen

Karen was also a tall kid, and sometimes classmates would try to tease her by saying, “How’s the weather up there?” She was never bothered by this, because really, that’s kind of a weak put-down, don’t you think? The weather’s nice up here, thanks! More about Karen »